Booting Up The Classroom

I love having a lot of technology in my classroom, but, with that technology comes  more work, especially at the beginning of the year. So here is the checklist of all that we do in our classrooms each year.

• Check for updates on the mini laptops. 
• Check for system updates
• Flash updates
• Virus protection
• Java, and other software programs.
• Update iPads
• Add new apps we will use for the next few months.
• Reset Restrictions
• Check for updates on teacher computers
• Electronic whiteboard software
• Browser updates
• Other software updates
• Input student information (usernames and passwords) into programs we use in the classroom
• Google Apps
• Utahwrite (state online writing program)
• Class wiki
• Online testing program
• District online reading program

The updating for the computers is usually done with the students in the first week. This lets me show the students how to update them and what to look for when a dialog box pops up. The students can then help some of the other teachers throughout the school.

The iPads get updated every three months to add or take off new apps we want to use. We have a core of apps that we use every week, but have a few that we try out for different subjects. 

Setting up the classroom has now included much of the technology upkeep in our rooms. What that has ultimately done is simplify what our rooms look like and what we actually do in our rooms. We do not run off much paper anymore. We try to put our worksheets on the computer or on a presentation for th students work off of on their iPads, computers or in a composition book. We have even taken some of the paperwork and put it on Goggle Docs to share with students.

Inputting student information has taken us the longest time. Thank goodness most programs allow us to import student info from a spreadsheet. That makes it easier.

There is a lot of set up in the beginning, but the payoff with what we can do with the technology is worth it.